Information about Taj Mahal India

[Travel Tips]

The Taj Mahal India was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their last child. Constructed between the years 1631 and 1653, the Taj Mahal is viewed as one of the world’s most beautiful monuments and is among the Seven Wonders of the World.Travel Portal Provided Various Taj Mahal Tour Packages and Golden triangle India Tours

Enclosed by a beautiful walled garden the Taj consists of five major constituents, The Main Gateway (Darwaza), The Gardens ( Bageecha), The Mosque (Masjid), The Rest House ( Naqqar Khana) and Main Mausoleum ( Rauza).the architecture is a mix of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic. The Taj itself stands on a raised platform. The tombs of Shah Jahan and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal are inside a shadowy burial crypt inside the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal Main gateway

This gateway which is 93 feet high is in the shape of an ogival arch that rises till the mid-height of the structure. It is adorned with Hindu motifs and entwined flowers. Above the pointed tip of the gateway is an image of a white teardrop with a red trident.

The Mahal Mosque

The mosque is made from red sandstone and is used mainly for prayer. Delicate calligraphy citing the name Allah and quotations from scriptures are inscribed on the mosque’s interiors. As this building was purposely built for prayer it faces towards Mecca.

The Taj Mahal Gardens

These have been landscaped in Persian style and run from the Main Gateway to the base of the Taj Mahal. There was no attempt to give theses gardens a ‘natural’ look as they are based on geometric arrangements of nature. There is a heavy emphasis on flowers, fruit, birds and leaves.

The Rest House sits opposite the Mosque and is known as its twin. The Rest House does not face Mecca and was never intended for the purpose of prayer. It is thought that the Rest House was built simply to conserve the symmetry of the Taj Mahal.

The Mausoleum

This is the real Taj Mahal and is approximately 900 feet away from the main entrance.

The inside of the Taj Mahal is as magnificent as the exterior. Arched gateways adorned with exquisite calligraphy serve as the entrance to the tombs. As you proceed into the Taj Mahal you will come across an elevated central chamber. Immediately below this is a crypt and 4 octagonal rooms. Mumtaz Mahal and Sham Jahan are in the central chamber.

Above the tombs is a Cairene lamp which has a flame that is never meant to burn out. The tombs are surrounded with perforated marble screens that are inlaid with semi-precious stones.

This wonderful monument to love and romance is situated in the city of Agra which is approximately 204km south of Delhi.

You can visit the Taj Mahal by air, rail or road. The city of Agra has its own airport and Indian Airlines operates daily flights in and out of that airport.

There is also a great railway network that connects Agra with the rest of the country.Added to this there are also a number of bus services running regularly to and from Agra.

Once you are in Agra you will require some local transport to get you to the Taj Mahal. There is plenty to choose from, taxi, tempo, auto-rickshaw and cycle-rickshaw.

A visit to this monument of a great love is something that will remain with you forever.